The Grand Order Of Water Rats

The Grand Order Of Water Rats The Grand Order Of Water Rats 🐀

2026 Grand Ball tickets below !!

Water Rat Kev Orkian appearing in High Wycombe this Christmas
10/06/2026

Water Rat Kev Orkian appearing in High Wycombe this Christmas

Great to see Water Rats Steve & Mark working together at Fareham Live. It looked like it was a fantastic show
09/06/2026

Great to see Water Rats Steve & Mark working together at Fareham Live.

It looked like it was a fantastic show

This week’s “Rat in the Spotlight” is musician, composer, arranger, programmer and musical director Nigel Hopkins.Born i...
08/06/2026

This week’s “Rat in the Spotlight” is musician, composer, arranger, programmer and musical director Nigel Hopkins.
Born in Swansea, Nigel’s musical journey began early. At just under three, a mini drum kit set the tone for his rhythmic start, but a few years later, his path shifted when a reed organ arrived and sparked a lifelong passion for keyboards and piano. Although his first piano teacher ruled he was far too young at age four, by seven, he had not only overcome the sustain-pedal hurdle but won a piano exam with flying colours. This achievement earned him a second-hand upright piano after scoring 93 out of 100.
That early foundation shaped a career marked by adaptability and ear-honed precision. Nigel can play accordion, guitar, bass, tuned percussion, some drums, recorders, and whistles, often brought out for comedic effect rather than concert-level performance.
He has graced stages and tours with names that read like a who’s who of music, including Elvis Costello, Chris de Burgh, Deep Purple, Francis Dunnery, Mica Paris, Bonnie Tyler, Alfie Boe, Glenn Hughes, Bruce Dickinson, Lulu, Jon Lord, The Blow Monkeys, and Lenny Henry.
A standout moment came in 2014, when he was invited to perform at the Celebrating Jon Lord concert at the Royal Albert Hall. What began as a one-song cameo transformed into a sweeping performance of most of Jon Lord’s classical compositions on piano and Hammond organ, including “Durham Concerto” and even “Burn” on Hammond and Moog.
Nigel described this as a deeply humbling honour.
He also serves as Musical Director for Chris de Burgh and others, and brings his musical sensibility to sound design, having contributed to Moog and Roland’s development teams and even the creation of the Moog Little Phatty synthesiser.
Nigel is a past trap guard of the Water Rats.

Scribe Rat Mike Martin with Brother Rat Michael Fenton Stevens at the recent Only Fools and Horses nostalgia tour in Mar...
04/06/2026

Scribe Rat Mike Martin with Brother Rat Michael Fenton Stevens at the recent Only Fools and Horses nostalgia tour in Margate.
Mike was a Jolly Boy in the 1989 Christmas Special and Michael played the travel rep Alan, about the same year, who forces Rodney to join the Groovy Gang!

Tickets are now on sale for the Grand Order of Water Rats annual charity ball. It’s always a great night.Tickets can be ...
04/06/2026

Tickets are now on sale for the Grand Order of Water Rats annual charity ball. It’s always a great night.
Tickets can be booked online at www.gowr.net

This week’s “Rat in the Spotlight” is actor, theatre advertising manager and theatre history specialist, collecting Rat,...
01/06/2026

This week’s “Rat in the Spotlight” is actor, theatre advertising manager and theatre history specialist, collecting Rat, Mark Fox.

Educated in Chelmsford, Essex, Mark developed a passion for theatre early, appearing in numerous amateur productions and working backstage whenever he was not performing. As a teenager he began delivering publicity material for leading West End producers, gaining valuable industry experience.

He earned a BA (Hons) in Drama and English from the University of Kent, studying theatre history from Ancient Greece to twentieth-century Britain. While still a student, he began his professional career as an Acting ASM and subsequently combined performing, teaching, directing and theatre marketing. His directing credits include Cabaret, Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar and Chess, while his acting roles ranged from Black Comedy and Chicago to Half A Sixpence.

Following a prolonged illness in the late 1980s, Mark moved into theatre management, joining Stoll Moss Theatres. He became Advertising Manager in 1994, overseeing programmes, marketing and historic collections, and has worked on more than 200 West End productions. He has written extensively on theatre history, published books on the London Palladium and Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and leads popular theatre tours and talks.

A supporter of numerous theatrical charities and organisations, Mark received the Freedom of the City of London in 2017 and the Grand Order of Lady Ratlings’ Badge of Merit in 2018. He continues to serve several theatre-related bodies and charities.

A post for Monday apologies! This week’s “Rat in the Spotlight” is Noel Cronin BEM, founder of Talking Pictures TV, the ...
28/05/2026

A post for Monday apologies!

This week’s “Rat in the Spotlight” is Noel Cronin BEM, founder of Talking Pictures TV, the British free-to-air vintage film and nostalgia channel launched on 26 May 2015. Born on 31 December 1947 in a small flat on London’s Abbey Road, Noel left school at 14 and began as a post-boy at Rank Advertising Films Division before working for the Central Office of Information and later as a Soho film editor during the 1960s and 70s.

Passionate about preserving lost and forgotten films, shorts and television programmes, Noel spent years restoring and safeguarding material that may otherwise have disappeared. His collection became the basis of Renown Pictures, a DVD distribution company, and later the foundation of Talking Pictures TV. His producing and editing credits include Home For Christmas (1990), Romantic Undertaking (1996), The Ghost of Greville Lodge (2000) and Talkies. Over the years he has worked with names including Peter Greenaway, Norman Wisdom, Mickey Rooney and Bernard Hill. Talking Pictures TV also hosts themed events and The Footage Detectives, co-presented with Mike Read. Now in its eleventh year, the channel continues to thrive, and Noel received a British Empire Medal in the King’s 2024 New Year Honours List.

This Sunday on Talking Pictures TV Past King Rat Melvyn Hayes and fellow Water Rats Noel Cronin and Mike Read delve into...
27/05/2026

This Sunday on Talking Pictures TV Past King Rat Melvyn Hayes and fellow Water Rats Noel Cronin and Mike Read delve into some rare footage of the Order. A must watch for one and all.

Huge congratulations to Water Rat Gary Starr for winning - Best Scare Experience - Snap at Fear Island by Fantasy Island
26/05/2026

Huge congratulations to Water Rat Gary Starr for winning - Best Scare Experience - Snap at Fear Island by Fantasy Island

Where you can see Water Rat Andy Eastwood !! One busy boy ⭐️🐀
24/05/2026

Where you can see Water Rat Andy Eastwood !! One busy boy ⭐️🐀

Address

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WC1X8BZ

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